As world leaders gather in Belém for the 30th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP30) to the UNFCCC, the Least Developed Countries (LDC) Group has outlined its key priorities and expectations, urging the global community to take bold, equitable, and immediate action to keep the 1.5°C goal within reach.
Ten years after the adoption of the Paris Agreement, the LDC Group, representing 44 of the world’s most climate-vulnerable nations, warns that global efforts remain far from sufficient to safeguard communities already facing severe climate impacts. The Group calls for urgent multilateral action to close persistent gaps in climate finance, emissions reduction, adaptation support, and addressing loss and damage.
“We have entered a decisive decade for climate action,” said Evans Njewa, Chair of the LDC Group. “The world must not allow the 1.5°C goal to slip away. COP30 must deliver a credible roadmap for addressing the gap in finance, ambition, and implementation, not promises for the future, but commitments today that are backed by adequate resources and the best available science.”
1. Climate Finance: Delivering on Commitments and Defining the Future
The LDC Group is calling for clear milestones for post-2025 adaptation finance targets, including a tripling of grant-based adaptation finance by 2030 to at least USD 120 billion, recognising that this still falls short of actual adaptation needs. The Group further urges a tripling of contributions through the Least Developed Countries Fund (LDCF) to a minimum of USD 3 billion under the GEF-9 cycle.
On the New Collective Quantified Goal (NCQG), the Group calls for robust follow-up on its implementation within the broader Baku to Belém Roadmap and a shared definition of climate finance to enhance accountability and transparency. The LDCs also support the new COP agenda item to ensure that developed countries fully meet their obligations under Article 9.1 of the Paris Agreement.
2. Mitigation: Urgent Action for 2030 and a Clear Roadmap to 2035
To maintain the 1.5°C target, the LDCs stress the need for countries to strengthen their 2030 targets reflecting the highest possible ambition, in line with the outcomes of the first Global Stocktake (GST1), and implement sectoral action and initiatives across renewable energy, fossil fuels transition, methane reduction, and forests conservation.
The Group calls for Belém to deliver a roadmap to keep 1.5°C on track, a structured plan with annual milestones, and follow-up process to guide the current and the next cycle of nationally determined contributions (NDCs). Further, implementation of our NDCs in pursuit of just transition pathways must be given due attention at this COP.
3. Adaptation: From Indicators to Implementation
The LDC Group urges the adoption of a comprehensive set of adaptation indicators with strong means of implementation and the creation of a dedicated technical workstream beyond COP30 to operationalise these measures. The Group also calls for the launch of fast-track funding to fully implement National Adaptation Plans (NAPs) by 2030.
4. Loss and Damage: Delivering Support Where It’s Needed Most
The Group welcomes the launch of the Fund for Responding to Loss and Damage (FRLD) under the Barbados Implementation Modalities (BIM) and emphasises the need for rapid, direct, and effective disbursement of resources to countries already suffering climate-induced devastation. The LDCs also support the decision to begin the FRLD replenishment process by 2027, ensuring predictable and adequate funding cycles to meet escalating needs.